Franciscan Heritage Series

The purpose of this book is to present some general and major themes of the theological formulation of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition as these themes intersect with contemporary perspectives. It provides a fine starting point for further reflection and a solid foundation for future expositions in this series. It is meant to help readers plumb the spiritual depths of our Franciscan inheritance and challenges readers to express these theological themes in preaching, in pastoral practice, in the works of evangelization and in the formative experiences of friars, sisters and the laity.

This is the first volume in a series initiated by the Commission on the Retrieval of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition (CFIT). The series will, over time, encompass topics such as Christian Anthropology, Ecclesiology, Scriptural Themes, Evangelization, History, the Natural Sciences, the Arts and other areas of contemporary concern.

Embedded in this vision and communicated in the Intellectual Tradition are implications for the world of politics, social relations, family life and daily human existence. Can we speak in the midst of our own social and ecclesial location a language of God-with-us, of life, of social witness, a language of the intellect that will help us do what is ours to do in this Christian Catholic Franciscan way of Gospel Life?

The purpose of this book is to elucidate in greater detail the theology of creation as a foundational starting point for contemporary belief and practices. The centrality in our faith tradition of the relationship between the Creator and all of creation and the reflection of the Trinity's glory in everything is undergoing a renaissance in our twenty-first century world. This book provides a fine stimulus for further reflection on this view, so fundamental to the spiritual vision of Francis and Clare. Dr. Delio here traces the theme of God and creation from the time of the conversion of Francis through the first century of Franciscan life and thought, which culminated in the work of John Duns Scotus.

This is the second volume in a series initiated by the Commission on the Retrieval of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition (CFIT). The series will, over time, encompass topics such as Christian Anthropology, Ecclesiology, Scriptural Themes, Evangelization, History, the Natural Sciences, the Arts and other areas of contemporary concern.

Embedded in this vision and communicated in the Intellectual Tradition are implications for the world of politics, social relations, family life and daily human existence. Can we speak in the midst of our own social and ecclesial location a language of God-with-us, of life, of social witness, a language of the intellect that will help us do what is ours to do in this Christian Catholic Franciscan way of Gospel Life?

This brief volume discusses several of the central elements of human person as found in those works of the Franciscan theological tradition which, when taken together, most sufficiently describes these qualities. As the tradition developed over the years, the intuitions and insights of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi concerning the human person were developed and/or restated in language better understood by the people of a particular era. Two of the most famous early Franciscan theologians, Bonaventure and John Duns Scotus, did just that. This volume will, by drawing on the wisdom on the Franciscan tradition, contribute in a similar way to an understanding of the human person today.

This is the third in a series intended to encompass topics which will connect the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition with today's language of our Christian Catholic Franciscan way of Gospel life. It will include some of the many different carriers of our Franciscan Tradition - not just Francis and cleric theologians, but also Clare, the women penitents and the laity. Embedded in this vision and communicated in the Intellectual Tradition are implications for the world of politics, economics, social relations, family life and daily human existence.

This book establishes a much-needed bridge connecting the best of contemporary scholarship on the Wisdom traditions of the Old Testament, the Gospel of John and the vernacular tradition of the theology of St. Francis, expressed in his writings and portrayed in the San Damiano crucifix. Accompanied by a CD presentation of images, the text correlates a central image-text of community formation with Johannine insights into the mysteries of creation, incarnation, glory and ministry. Practitioners of the Franciscan Gospel life, gazing upon the cross with informed minds and open hearts, might become transformed into the image of the Godhead itself and thus enable others to read and to become the true glory of the love of God and neighbor in our twenty-first century.

This is the fourth volume in a series initiated by the Commission on the Retrieval of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition (CFIT). The series will, over time, encompass topics such as Christian Anthropology, Ecclesiology, Scriptural Themes, Evangelization, History, the Natural Sciences, the Arts and other areas of contemporary concern.

Embedded in this vision and communicated in the Intellectual Tradition are implications for the world of politics, social relations, family life and daily human existence. Can we speak in the midst of our own social and ecclesial location a language of God-with-us, of life, of social witness, a language of the intellect that will help us do what is ours to do in this Christian Catholic Franciscan way of Gospel Life?

This essay extends the retrieval of the Franciscan intellectual tradition
into the sciences by presenting the vocation and work of three Franciscan
scientists. Friar Bartholomew the Englishman taught his fellow Franciscans
with the best available scientific knowledge to prepare them for preaching
in foreign lands. Friar Roger Bacon conducted research into the natural
world to advance scientific knowledge in service of the Church. Friar
Bernardino de Sahagún investigated the life, worldview and culture of the
Aztec peoples in New Spain (now Mexico) to interpret these for his fellow
Franciscans. In the Franciscan tradition, learning about nature helps one
grow in wisdom, and thus Franciscan science is knowledge for love. This
essay argues that the retrieval of our Franciscan intellectual tradition could
and should include the sciences.
This is the eighth in a series intended to encompass topics which will
connect the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition with today’s language of our
Christian Catholic Franciscan way of Gospel Life. Previous volumes have presented an overview of the tradition,discussed dimensions of creation and Christian anthropology in Franciscan theology, and illustrated them through an iconographic tradition found in the Gospel of John.

Trinitarian Perspectives in the Franciscan Theological Tradition by Dr. Maria Calisi builds substantially on the previous volumes in the Franciscan Heritage series sponsored by the Secretariat for the Retrieval of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition (CFIT) of the English Speaking Conference of the Order of Friars Minor. Dr. Calisi is an authority on the theology of Saint Bonaventure. Her exposition of the foundations of the Seraphic Doctor's theology in the contemplative experience of and reflection on the relational nature of God's life retrieves an important theological perspective applicable to our contemporary search for meaning. Well schooled in the patristic inheritance, Calisis engages the reader with a simple but profound analysis of the creedal sign shared by all Christians: In the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. In these pages we will discover how doctrine can shape life, and life, doctrine; how faith-filled human beings rooted in Trinitarian love can bear great fruit for both Church and society by engaging practitioners in action supportive of personal dignity, ecumenical relationships, social transformation, and ecclesial reform.

This is the fifth in a series intended to encompass topics which will connect the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition with today's language of our Christian Catholic Franciscan way of Gospel life. Previous volumes have presented an overview of the tradition, discussed dimensions of creation and Christian anthropology in Franciscan theology, and illustrated them through an iconographic tradition found in the Gospel of John. It is our hope that this book will present, in an easy and accessible form, the central foundational element of the Trinitarian vision to students in the college classroom, the parish adult education program, Secular Fraternity gatherings and various community meetings. The depth of this presentation and its consequences for our life will only be plumbed through a process of intellectual and affective conversion. Dr. Calisi has pointed us in the right direction.

This book about Mendicant women outside the cloister is unique in its content. Rose of Viterbo, Angela of Foligno, Margaret of Cortona, and Sancia, Queen of Naples, were all born within the first century of the Franciscan Order. As women who pursued their religious vocation of voluntary poverty, itinerancy, and preaching outside of monastic walls – in the streets and in their homes – they could very well be called the first generation of mendicant women.